Iwobi did not go offline because of cyber bullies, clarifies Doherty

HARRISON, NEW JERSEY – JUNE 02: Alex Iwobi #18 of Nigeria passes against Ecuador at Red Bull Arena on June 02, 2022 in Harrison, New Jersey. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

A contestant during the 2022 Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) Presidential election, David Doherty has made some clarifications about the alleged online bullying of Alex Iwobi.

The Fulham midfielder was singled out for bullying after Nigeria was trounced by the hosts Ivory Coast in the final game of 2023 AFCON.

Nigeria’s loss triggered a wave of criticism at Iwobi who has taken a drastic step to shield himself from the onslaught of online abuse by deleting all photos from his Instagram page.

Doherty, however, issued a statement on Thursday to quickly clarify claims that the went offline because of the harsh criticisms.

The football administrator disclosed that Iwobi has arrived home safely in London, resumed training with Fulham on Thursday morning and will be available for selection.

“According to a source close to Alex Iwobi, he did not go offline because of some bullies. Let’s get this fact right. He only went off line to simply concentrate on the tournament,” Doherty said on Facebook.

“Not at 27, going to 28 years, such will be an issue coming from people you don’t even know and have anything with, no. The fact is that Alex did not feel cyber bullied and honestly is getting a bit tiring.

“Alex is obviously open to constructive criticism from his coaches and credible people, so he is quite taken aback by the portrayal of him as this poor kid sat in a corner weeping his eyes out because of comments from people who don’t matter and him needing other people to fight his battle